5 Years
by meh321
Summary: A fantasy where Zoro didn't have to face the pain of Kuina's death, just the loneliness from her parting.


If the unlucky incident did not happen and Kuina didn't die.

Zoro was sick of Kuina's constant laments about her being a girl. Supposedly a weaker sex. She would look down with sad eyes while talking about a future where she would be overtaken by boys and men because she would become weaker.

All that miserable talk after she beats him with ease.

Zoro loathed her pathetic monologues.

He didn't understand what was the problem, he could not see the issue. Maybe he couldn't understand, but he hated her being so miserable over something that wasn't happening yet. What's with lamenting about a bleak future when you could still fight and win everyone right now and then?

As much as he's frustrated, he would still stay and listen just so he could still fight her the next day. And also because she sounded so sad.

Kuina was kind of an enemy— no, not enemy, but something he chases after. A goal, some kind of horizon he couldn't reach before the sun set even if he started the moment the day began. Kuina was also a friend.

Zoro was just a nine-year-old boy who wanted to be a swordsman and Kuina was too brilliant for him to truly become an honourable one. He had to defeat Kuina.

Just as he was busy chasing after her, she was busy stalling the coming on of turning into a woman. Just as he was sparring with all the other boys in the dojo, she was tightening the binds around her chest until she couldn't breath properly. Just as he was becoming stronger day by day, she was slowing down in the accumulation of her strength.

He turned muscular and strong, tougher in built and larger in girth. She became slender in comparison and not as tall. Her muscles were not as dense. She still had dexterity but soon lost out in speed.

The nine-year-old Zoro didn't understand her pain. The sixteen-year-old Zoro understood perfectly when he defeated her fair and square— he wasn't sure if it was fair at all.

He was a man and she was a woman.

It was the first time her sword hit the ground before his. She accepted her defeat honourably and calmly, a smile expecting that this day would come.

Zoro didn't feel any triumph or joy. He only felt a sense of loss.

They will no longer spar the same way.

She'd become weak, that's what she kept telling him. He would not know what to say but to keep quiet and give her his silent company.

They still trained together but they hardly sparred for fear or reenacting that painful defeat. Kuina crossed into another phase of her swordsmanship and Zoro followed behind. When she felt pain, he did too. It was strange, as if they were twins. Telepathy of pain but not of thought. Zoro never truly understood what she was thinking about, especially since they grew up. It seemed that there were more troubles to Kuina's mind ever since they grew up, and they only added as the days gone by.

It wasn't exactly great after becoming bigger and stronger. That was the only thing good about becoming a man, strength was all Zoro got. But then, things started getting strange. He would wake up at night, hot and sweaty but unaware of what his problem was. On other nights, he would wake up the same way, only feeling cold and somewhat alone, thinking about a certain somebody. He would never admit to that.

Zoro tucked these burdensome feelings to the back of his head. He wielded his sword cool as a river and delved forward as fast as the flames would torch the nearest moth. Kuina withdrew herself and so did Zoro.

He kept his emotions well even on the day she left. She was going to find a way to become stronger. Zoro knew she was going to leave alone. He didn't say a word, the inner swordsman inside wanted another worthy partner but the lonely boy wanted a companion.

Nineteen-years-old, he decided to leave. That was when it all began. Kuina was not coming back any sooner and he had better things to do than to stay at the dojo where there was no longer anything more to learn.

Twenty-one-years-old, he became a wanted man with one of the highest bounty— wonder what his sensei would think of this. He was a swordsman, not a pirate.

Alright, maybe both, but more of the first one.

He'd met good opponents and one who looked like the best one he never met again.

Meeting Tashigi gave him another reason to think that Kuina is dead. There was no news of her, only a doppelganger.

He would go to sleep sometimes, thinking about her. Wondering how good is she now, if she would still kick his ass or would he still win her with the strength of a man.

Sometimes he wondered if things would have been better if she stayed. Sometimes, he stopped himself before it gets too far.

One time he wondered if he had hoped too much at night that it had become true.

Just around the corner, that little shop where they sold the powdered candies they used to chew on while they were children. She was there.

The same raven hair, he'd thought it was Tashigi again, but no, there was something different about the air around this woman. She was more elegant, more poised, sharper yet very gentle.

She was beautiful.

Dumbfounded, that's what he was. Her eyes darted back and forth. He was glad she didn't run away. She looked like she almost did. She gave him a smile, a little awkward but genuine. Her eyes met his for a moment which jolted his heartbeat a little. A strange movement in his chest. Her eyes shifted up and down, looking a little surprised as how tattered he has become. She remembered him as a boy, now he's a filthy old pirate, wornout in all ways except his clothes.

Zoro, she said his name and it felt like ages since he's heard her voice. It was the same, but different.

He couldn't bring himself to speak her name without a little pause.

He didn't invite her back to the Thousand Sunny. He wanted some things to stay segregated as it was. Maybe he was just selfish. He wanted those memories to stay before they left. It just didn't feel right, like mixing tea with sake. Tastes horrible.

They sat at a shore, the sea breeze not matching to what he'd imagine this to be. The breeze in their hometown smelled like meadows instead of salt. Kuina smelled like fresh rain.

They didn't speak much. She didn't ask much, to his relief. He wouldn't know what to say, or where to begin. There was too much to talk about. And he hated to talk about his stupid eye.

Let's spar.

She was already up on her feet, ready with her sword in her hands, as if coaxing him. Like she was afraid he would turn her down.

He stood up and pulled out a sword. Her gaze lingered and burned. He drew out the other two.

A crisp sound, when their swords clashed. It was a lovely sound, Zoro loved the strength of the metal and the shaking of the hilts.

Her hair glowed underneath the moonlight and it looked too similar to the day she shared her pain.

He finally understood her woes but he learned to not speak of his feelings any longer.

The moment was too intimate on his own part, he faltered and she was surprised.

He saw the disappointment in her eyes. He knew he had hurt her pride. The insecurities she had must be telling her she was not worthy enough for him to be serious.

But in fact, it was the other way round. She was too important for him to stay true to his blood and thirst for swordsmanship, he wanted something else.

He flashed her an apologetic smile and for a split second it was almost as if she understood. But she masked her emotions again and held out her hand.

He took it, self-conscious of the calluses on his hand but found hers to be the same.

The nine-year-old him didn't understand but still had the courage.

The sixteen-year-old him understood but didn't have the courage.

The twenty-old-year-old didn't want to wait for another 5 years.

The amount of courage he plucked through his ventures through the seas couldn't compare to one little kiss. His heart was beating of his chest when he touched their lips. He could feel her breathe catch, surprised and a little gasp. He closed his arms around her and allowed the both of them to fall backwards. He was keeping her down with him. She was not going to leave just like that again.

Yes, she still smelled the same way, fresh sweet grass. Soft, gentle lips. He ran a hand through her hair, he'd always wanted to know how it felt like. He finally knew. He pressed her tightly against his chest, trying to memorise the warmth across his skin. Like a teenager again, he felt hot and sweaty. His head was spinning. She smiled at him, an adorable blush on her cheeks and he cannot help but brush her hair out of her face. He pulled her in for another kiss. It felt too much like a dream, he needed to make sure it was true.

He held her slender arms, felt the curves on her matured body, feeling strange. She became more than just an opponent and an ambition to chase after. She became somebody he desired deep down from his bones. He would crush her if he held any tighter. Her hands ran across his chest, his shoulder, feeling the change in his body since the time they parted.

Trying to get used to it felt a little queasy, they both looked at one another and laughed out. It's weird, they know, they all look different now. He was that stupid boy who would scream at anything he was upset about and she was that stubborn girl who didn't want to be one.

He had no idea if she was going to leave the next day. If that was true, he couldn't do anything to stop her. He respected her decisions. But just for one night when she decided to stay, he wanted to make sure he was right beside her.


End file.
